Pirated
by appa-appa-away
Summary: Zuko and Katara are captured by pirates and have to work together to escape. Along the way, feelings form and their destinies become intertwined. Set in book one after the waterbending scroll. A sweet Zutara story... now reposted and edited.
1. 1: Captured

**_REPOST! (Yea, I looked back and found heaps of mistakes and so I've gone through, edited it and now I'm reposting it. So read, my pretties!)_**

**Hello readers! This is my first fic, so be nice. I'm rating it M so be warned. Hope you like it! R&R! Just before you read the story though, Zuko and Katara are two years older than they are in the show. No time has elapsed since the episode, The Waterbending Scroll, but Zuko is now 18 and Katara is 16. You'll understand in a few chapters time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Any original characters, however, I do own.**

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**1. Captured**

"Well, well, well, look who we have here; our little thief." The raspy voice came from behind her and she whipped around to see a pirate approaching her.

Katara made a water-whip and sent it at him, but he was ready for it and dodged it and lashed out at her with his club.

It hit her in the gut and she fell backwards, winded.

He raised his club to strike again and the waterbender only just managed to roll out of the way. It smashed into the ground where her head had been with a resounding thud.

Katara kicked the pirate in the knee and he fell over. But he landed on top of her.

She gasped and prayed to the gods that her ribs weren't broken.

"Get off me!" she screamed and threw her arms about, this time creating a big enough water-whip to send him backwards.

She got to her feet and tried to run, but the pirate grabbed her ankles and she tripped and hit her head against a rock.

The waterbender could see nothing but stars and blackness as she tried to get up, but she was too dizzy.

She heard the pirate get up behind her and he started moving towards her.

_Oh, great! Now I'm done for!_

The pirate grabbed her wrist and forced them together behind her back. But as the pirate reached for the rope to tie her, a fire blast sent him flying backwards.

She felt a familiar pair of hot hands grab her and pull her roughly to her feet.

"C'mon, water scum! Get up!" Prince Zuko yelled at her as she almost fell over again.

He sent another fire blast at the pirate who shrieked in pain. Then, he grabbing Katara's wrist and led her away, into the forest.

They ran together, with Prince Zuko in the lead, for five minutes flat, without slowing down or stopping.

When they finally did come to a halt, they were standing in a clearing.

Both of them lent up against a tree, panting and clutching stitches in their sides.

Once he had caught his breath, Zuko spoke.

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" His voice was sly and Katara knew he was up to no good.

She looked at him – his face was a twisted smile and his eyes were alive with confidence.

Then, quick as lightning, the Fire Prince grabbed Katara's arms and pulled them behind her and bound her wrists.

She was too shocked to do anything and although she struggled, she knew she wouldn't be able to get free.

"Now, there's a good prisoner," he leered.

Katara sighed out loud at her own foolishness.

_He knows you know where Aang is, of course he's gonna take you prisoner!_

_Well, I'm not gonna tell him anything! _She made a mental promise to herself and her friend.

* * *

The Fire Prince began to lead her through the forest and she knew she couldn't get away from him on her own.

Zuko kept a straight face as he lead the water girl through the dark trees, but inside he was having a victorious party.

_She knows where the Avatar is, and if she won't tell me I'll use her mother's necklace to threaten her. If she still won't say, then I'll use her as bait. _His plan was already perfectly formulated inside his head.

_Now I've just gotta get her back to the ship._

Prince Zuko looked at the girl he was pushing forwards and realized he had just saved her from that pirate.

_And she hasn't even said thank you!_

The waterbender seemed to read his thoughts.

"You just saved me form those pirates," she stopped and turned to face him properly, "I guess I should say thank you… you know, for saving my life."

The Prince considered the girl in front of him for a moment.

"Yea, well, I wouldn't go thanking me too quickly if I were you; I'm about to use you to capture the Avatar," he said.

Katara shrugged.

There was silence for a moment.

"And I don't think they would have killed you," he continued.

Katara looked at him, puzzled.

"They're a bunch of worthless, dishonourable pirates, and you're… well, you're a girl!" he went on, "a fairly attractive one, even if you are a waterbender."

Katara looked shocked.

"You find me attractive?!"

"No! I'm just saying… hey, lots of girls are good looking and you just so happen to be one of them!" he admitted.

She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed in frustration and turned her to face the direction they were travelling in before continuing to move.

"So, what _do _you mean by, 'they're pirates and I'm a girl'?" she asked after a while.

"Well, do you know what pirates do to young women when they catch them?" he asked. But he continued before she could answer, "They beat them but they don't kill them. But what they _do _end up doing to them makes their prisoners _whish _they were dead."

Katara stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the Prince again.

"Please don't tell me you mean," Katara swallowed, "they rape us."

Zuko nodded and his prisoner shuddered.

"I, on the other hand, am willing to let you and your brother walk free once I have the Avatar, and I would prefer to let you both keep your innocence," he told her.

"I want to cause as little harm to you, your brother and the Avatar as possible," he said after a while, "the pirates would kill anyone who gets in their way that they don't deem suitable for a sex toy. They would kill your brother, keep you as a sex toy and hurt the Avatar to the point that he is only just alive."

There was silence.

Katara looked up at him and asked, "What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm trying to tell you that you're lucky I'm the one who caught you and not the pirates. They would have done some really horrible things to you, your brother and your friend… worse than I'm willing to do, anyway."

They stared at each other in silence.

"Ok, I'll admit it, if I had to choose between getting caught by the pirates and getting caught by you, I'm pretty sure I'd choose you," the water girl said.

They started walking again.

"So, I guess, thank you for saving my virginity," she mumbled.

"My pleasure. I'd hate to see an honourable girl be dishonored like that, or even know that it's happened, even if you are the enemy," he said.

They walked on in silence for the next five minutes.

* * *

As they walked, Katara caught a glimpse of something moving in the trees.

There was a rustle in the bushes around them and they both stopped.

Holding their breath, they looked around.

There was the rustling again, this time louder.

And more movement in the tree tops.

Both hunter and prisoner looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the noise.

After a moment, everything was still. Not a twig snapped and not a leaf rustled.

They kept their eyes and ears open, willing themselves to find the cause of the previous noise.

Only one noise came after that; the sound of a boomerang rushing through the air.

Both prince and peasant fell to the ground as the object hit their heads.

In her last few seconds of consciousness, Katara saw several pirates emerge from the bushes and the canopies of the trees.

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**All done? Ok, I hope u all enjoyed it! Plz review and tell me what you think! XD!**


	2. 2: The Brig

**Enjoy! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. But any original characters, I do own.**

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2. The Brig

Katara could feel hard wood beneath her. She could feel the movement of waves against a vessel and she could hear the heavy breathing of another person nearby.

Other than that and the creaking of the ship, everything was silent.

The waterbender opened her eyes and sat up.

She looked around to see she was in a prison cell in the brig of a ship.

Prince Zuko was sitting against the wall a meter away from her. He had been stripped of his amour and now only wore a red outer robe with a red shirt underneath and black pants. He didn't look very threatening.

He turned to look at her as she sat up properly.

Neither of them said anything in the darkness. The Prince just steadied his breathing and looked away after a while.

They sat in silence for a further five minutes before they heard a lock click and the door to the brig swung open. The prisoners had to shield their eyes from the light that flooded in.

The only thing they could see in the doorway against the light was the silhouette of a man with a reptile-bird on his shoulder. The figure stepped forward and shut the door behind him and Katara recoiled at the sight of the pirate captain.

"And how are we tonight?" he growled.

Katara and the Prince kept silent.

"Tell me, girly, where be the Avatar?" His eyes burned into Katara's and the girl had to force herself to refrain from shrieking.

The captain unlocked the door and stepped inside the cell and locked the door behind him.

"Cat got your tongue, missy?" he asked, as he towered over the terrified waterbender.

Then, quick as lightning, he grabbed the front of her dress and pulled her to her feet and pushed her against the back of the cell.

"Maybe some pain will loosen your tongue."

"Don't touch her!" Zuko spoke up for the first time that night and jumped to his feet.

The captain looked the Fire Prince up and down.

"What do you care what I do to her?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

The Prince opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything to say.

Satisfied, the pirate turned back to the waterbender.

She looked at him silently, eyes wide and heart beating franticly.

"So, you're not gonna tell me now. Maybe I need to find another way to convince you to talk."

With that, the captain let go of Katara and left the prison cell and the brig, locking the doors behind him and leaving the two benders in the dark.

Katara, who was still leaning against the wall, slid to the ground and tucked her knees to her chest.

She hugged her legs and leaned her head on her knees.

After a moment, the Prince asked, "You ok?"

The girl gave a small nod for a reply. Then;

"Why did you tell him not to touch me?"

The Fire Prince thought for a moment.

"Cause I don't believe that scaring or hurting people for information is right. And you looked pretty scared and he looked ready to hurt you," he said.

The girl nodded, "Thank you."

"Whatever," Prince Zuko sounded unsure that he was doing what he was meant to be doing, "and I mean, he's right – what do I care what he does to you?"

Katara sighed.

"So, how long have we been here?" she asked after a moment.

Zuko shrugged, "A few hours," he paused, "you were unconscious the whole time."

_Well duh! Tell me something I don't know. And what's that suppose to mean, anyway? I'm weak?_

"We were both unconscious the whole time. I only just woke up a minute before you."

_Oh, ok, that's not what you mean then._

They sat in awkward silence for the rest of the night.

Eventually, their eyes drooped shut and they slumped back against the wall of the cell in sleep.

* * *

Zuko opened his eyes and looked around the brig.

Through the paper thin gap between the door and the floor, he could see the first light of the day seeping in.

_I rise with the sun._

He looked around again and saw Katara, leaning against the wall in the same spot the pirate captain had left her. She was still asleep.

He sat in silence for a moment.

Suddenly, the door to the brig unlocked and was pushed open.

Katara woke with a start and quickly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

A pirate walked in, carrying a rusty tray with two small bowls of rice and a small jug of water.

"Breakfast!" he boomed as he unlocked the cell door and slipped it in, before quickly locking the door again and leaving.

Both the waterbender and the firebender looked at each other in uncertainty.

After a moment they both reached forward and picked up a bowl of rice each.

They sat the bowls in their laps and waited.

After a moment Katara spoke.

"Are you going to try it?"

"Ladies first," he said.

"What? So I'm the royal food tester now, am I?" she laughed sarcastically.

Prince Zuko sighed and scowled at her. He spooned some of the rice into his mouth. It was cold and slimy and was _definitely_ not properly cooked.

"Blah!" he reached out for the water jug and one of the small cups that were still on the tray.

He filled the cup and tipped the liquid down his throat… and started coughing.

"What's wrong?" Katara was only slightly concerned. She really couldn't care less, but she didn't want to be stuck in a cell with a dead body for Gods knew how long.

"It's salt water!" he pointed at the jug, "and I don't think that stuff's safe to eat!" he indicated to the bowl of rice.

"I'll take your word for it," Katara pushed the bowl back onto the tray.

Zuko followed suit.

"Ok, we'll have to work something out for the food, but we can take our time with that. We can survive a few days without food if we need to. Water on the other hand…"

"So, what do you say we do then, waterbender?" he asked.

Katara frowned slightly at her title; waterbender. She tried to ignore it as she scratched her head thoughtfully for a moment.

"First off, call me waterbender again and I'll slap you… hard," she warned. The Prince rolled his eyes as if to say, _yea, like you're gonna slap me. You don't have the guts to._ She went on, "Now, with the water, I could try and separate it from the salt. Not promises though."

The Prince sighed again.

"Well, do you have a better idea? Because if you do then I'd like to hear it!" she snapped.

Prince Zuko opened his mouth, but just as the previous night, he couldn't think of anything to say and closed it again with a huff.

"Didn't think so."

The boy scowled at her, and then an idea hit him.

"I could evaporate the water with my firebending to separate the water from the salt and then you could turn the steam back into water after I get rid of the salt!" he smirked at her.

She was stunned.

"That is actually a pretty good idea. Ok, let's try that."

Katara got the two cups ready.

"We'll only evaporate what we need for now," she said.

Zuko nodded and took the jug into his hands.

"Say when," he began heating the water.

Katara didn't let any of the steam escape and turned it all back into water which she bent into the cups.

"When!" she called.

The Prince stopped firebending and set the jug down. They both picked up a cup of water each.

"Cheers," Katara only half smiled to him and he rolled his eyes again.

And they drank up.

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OK, I hope u enjoyed! Plz R&R! XD


	3. 3: Troubled Times

**Uh, yea, R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Any original characters and plots I do own.**

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3. Troubled Times**

"So, this is how we're gonna be living for a while," Katara commented hoarsely.

It was sun set and this was the first time either of the prisoners had spoken since breakfast.

"I guess," Prince Zuko had to clear his throat and say it again for Katara to hear.

They had sat in an awkward silence all day and all they had done for communication was pass each other a cold glare every now and then. Now they were both wondering how much longer it would be before they lost their voices.

"I wonder what Aang and Sokka are doing right now…" she thought out loud.

"I wonder what my uncle and crew is doing," said Zuko.

"I bet they're looking for me, they must be worried sick."

"My uncle and crew would have started looking for me as soon as I didn't arrive back at the ship when I said I would."

"They're probably tearing through the air on Appa's back."

"He's probably already following the pirates."

"They can probably already see the ship."

Suddenly Prince Zuko and Katara fell silent.

So this is what it had come down to; trying to outshine each others groups.

"Sorry," Katara mumbled.

"Yea, me too," the Prince grumbled.

They sat in silence for a moment.

Suddenly the door to the brig flew open and one of the pirates came in. He stopped in front of the cell and stared at Katara, a twisted smile across his face.

Katara stared nervously back and Prince Zuko switched his gaze between them.

Finally the pirate spoke.

"We're far out at sea now, no land in sight, and the captain's decided it's time to have some real fun." His eyes burned hungrily into Katara's.

He opened the door to the cell and in a split second, the Fire Prince was on his feet.

Katara stood up too as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Come quietly and there'll be less trouble," he took a step towards Katara.

She felt Zuko's hand jump to her shoulder and hold her tight.

"Now, now, Your Highness, no need to be so protective, we'll give her back once we're done with 'er." The pirate took another step forward and reached out for the waterbender's other hand.

She tried to move back but she was already against the wall.

The pirate caught hold of her forearm, but before he could secure his grip, Zuko stepped in front of Katara and pushed his arm away.

"Stand down, Prince Zuko!"

He didn't move.

"Why do you care what happens to her?"

The Prince stayed silent.

The two men glared at each other and Katara stayed behind the Fire Prince.

"OI! I'M GONNA NEED SOME HELP IF WE WANT THIS GIRL!" the pirate called over to the door of the brig.

In a split second, the door flew open and another pirate walked in.

He entered the cell and put his hands on his hips.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked his comrade.

"The Fire Prince doesn't want to let us near the girl."

"Really?" the second pirate looked at Zuko, but the Prince didn't move.

The two pirates looked silently at each other for a moment. Then, quick as lightning, the second pirate grabbed the Prince and swung him to the other side of the cell. The first pirate took a vice grip on Katara's forearm and led her out of the cell.

She tried to fight back. She slammed her fist into his fingers and yelled at him to let go. She tried not to move her feet, but he was strong and managed to drag her.

Zuko tried to get passed the second pirate, but only ended up getting pushed back every time he came within arms reach.

"Let go of her!" he yelled at the first pirate, as he led Katara out of the cell and up the stairs of the brig.

"Let go of me you bastard!" she cried.

The pirate left the brig, dragging her behind him while the second pirate held Prince Zuko back- quite literally.

"NO!" the Prince called. "She's only young! Leave her alone!"

"The younger the better, I say," the pirate snarled as he threw the Fire Prince back against the cell wall.

He quickly exited the cell and the brig, locking all doors behind him and leaving Zuko alone.

* * *

"Let go, let go!" Katara beat the pirate's hand, trying to make him let go with no avail.

Finally the pirate had had enough. He spun to face her on his heals and gave her a hard backhander across the face.

Katara was silent immediately. She stopped struggling and followed her master. After a few corridors, they went up a flight of stairs and walked out onto the deck.

The sun was down, but there was still light. The moon was only just rising.

She looked around. There were twelve pirates on the main deck, one at the wheel, one climbing down from the crows nest and one holding her. The second pirate from down in the brig came up behind them.

_That's sixteen pirates – not including the captain._

Katara looked around, the captain was nowhere on deck.

She looked at the ocean surrounding the ship.

_I could waterbend… but how am I going to beat sixteen pirates and get away alive? I can't waterbend my way all the way back to land!_

Sixteen pairs of hungry eyes were locked on her.

_Don't come anywhere near me! _She thought desperately.

"It's been a long time since we have had a woman in our presence," one of them spoke. "Let's have some fun already!"

Katara was pushed roughly into the middle of the deck. Pirates encircled her and she knew there was no getting out of this.

_Why did that stupid firebender have to be right about what they would do to me?!_

One of the pirates pushed her backwards and she gasped as the pirate behind her caught her. He threw her to one of his mates and he tossed her to another.

The circle around her grew tighter and tighter and she was soon being caught and thrown by several pirates at the same time in many directions.

After a while, one of the pirates pulled at the front of her dress and it was slightly torn. His comrades laughed at her again and one of them slapped her on the backside. She slapped his hand away from her and accidentally scratched him, only to receive another hard backhander across the face.

They laughed at her again and one of them squeezed her backside. But before she could do anything about it, someone slid their hands over her breasts. Another pair of hands snaked around her waist from behind her and another played with the top of her dress.

Suddenly the top of her dress came open and someone slid the garment off her.

Fingers played at her hair and made it fall loose and men held her arms and tried to pull her towards them, all laughing and making nasty and dirty comments about her.

She slapped and was slapped back, she kicked and she was thrown to the deck, she scratched and a knife was drawn to her throat, she lashed out and she was winded.

Katara was defenseless against the men and they were getting more and more violent by the second.

They grabbed her, threw her, pushed her, pulled her. They slapped her backside and ran their hands over her breasts, adding a squeeze every now and then.

She screamed, she struggled and she was beaten.

The moon was high in the sky before they had finished with her.

* * *

Prince Zuko sat in his cell and waited.

At first he paced up and down, but he sat after the first hour of aloneness had passed.

He wondered what they were doing to Katara.

_What do you think they're doing to her?! You told her yourself what they would do to her!_

He wondered how far they would go with a sixteen-year-old girl. He wondered if they even cared for a girl her age.

And how was she coping with what was happening to her? _Was _she coping?

_Hey, why do I care? She's a waterbending peasant and I'm the Fire Prince!_

_You care because you know what they're doing to her is wrong and bad. You care because you are a decent man._

It was his uncle's voice that the Prince heard in his head when he answered his own question.

The door to the brig swung open and a pirate walked in, dragging the water girl behind him.

Katara was in her underwear and her hair was no longer in its neat bun and braid. Her face was stained with tears and her breathing was harsh.

The pirate threw her to the floor of the prison cell and threw her clothes in after her.

He locked the door and left.

Katara curled up into a ball where she lay and began to cry.

Prince Zuko watched her break down and drench herself in tears, to shocked by the sudden entrance and mangled appearance to do anything. Once he had overcome his state of shock, he looked at her in pity.

_What has become of men these days? Don't these people know respect and decency?_

He moved over to where she lay and knelt by her head.

He reached out with one hand and stroked her hair. She shrieked and tried to shrink away from his touch.

"It's ok, it's me," he whispered and he stroked her hair again.

Prince Zuko didn't know what had come over him.

_What are you doing?! _

He could feel her body shaking and she continued to cry.

"Listen to me, everything's gonna be alright," he cooed. "Now, I think you should put your clothes back on and then take a deep breath."

Katara attempted to steady herself a little. She nodded before half sitting up to see where her dress was.

The Fire Prince handed it to her and she slipped it on with shaky hands.

_What are you doing?!_

_I'm going the right thing! I mean – is it not right to help a girl who's just had... Gods know what those pirates did to her?!_

Once she was dressed again, she curled up in a ball again and lay down.

The Prince put her head in his lap and brushed a tear away and pulled a few stray hairs out of her face.

_Dude, you're crazy! What's she gonna think of you now?_

_She'll know there is some good in me. She'll know I'm not like them. _

She looked up at him.

"What are you doing?" she sobbed.

"I'm trying to be of some comfort to you," he replied. "Spirits know what they did to you."

"They played... hot potato with me...on deck...and...and..." She tugged at her dress, indicated to her messy hair and several bruises, mainly on her cheeks and started crying again.

"It's gonna be ok," he said, "go to sleep; you look tired – you need your rest."

_Just help her calm down and it'll all be over in the morning. She'll probably forget about it tomorrow._

The water girl nodded and fell asleep after another ten minutes of crying.

It was good to know there was someone there for her during these troubled times.

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**So... what did you think? I hope you liked it. Next chapter should be coming out soon… I'm sorry if Zuko was a bit too OC for your liking there... plz forgive me! XD! R&R! XD! XD! XD! PLZ R&R!**


	4. 4: Understanding

**I hope you enjoy this chappie. This is just meant to help soften the relationship between our favourite couple.**

**XD! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I do own any original plots and characters.**

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**4. Understanding**

Back and forth, back and forth was the gentle rhythm in which the ship moved. Up and down and up and down atop the waves, the motion was hypnotic, relaxing, soothing.

Just as the warm hand stroking her head.

Katara opened her eyes and looked up.

Prince Zuko stared back down at her, but didn't remove his hand from her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sleepily.

"I feel like shit," she commented darkly.

"I would too if they did that to me."

Katara hit his hand away from her and sat upright.

"Well they didn't do it to you, did they?!" she snapped.

Zuko shrank back at her sudden outburst. She glared angrily at him for a moment.

"I never said they did. I was only trying to comfort you," he whispered, a touch of annoyance to his voice as he frowned at her, trying hard not to yell back.

Katara stopped glaring and sat back and looked away.

"I know you were. I'm sorry," she whispered.

Zuko's face softened and he put a hand on her shoulder and leaned forward again.

"It's just really hard to cope with this – I don't know how anyone can cope with something like that happening to them." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I know… I mean, I wouldn't have a clue but…I think my uncle would probably know, or have some advice and comfort… more than me… I'm just gonna shut up now."

"Your uncle sounds like a really nice person," she whispered, turning to face him, and giving him a small smile for stuttering.

"He is, I'm lucky to have him."

"Yes, you are, just like I'm lucky to have Sokka," she said softly.

"Hey, I bet, the moment your brother finds out what they did to you last night, he'll kill 'em all for it," the Prince piped up, trying to lighten the mood.

They both laughed a little, but it was slightly nervous and uncomfortable.

"What do you think he would have done to comfort you?" he asked.

"I'd hope it would be something along the lines of what you did, but with a little more affection. I mean, I can't expect that from you; you're my enemy!" Katara laughed.

"Hey, I'm only your enemy when I'm looking for or chasing the Avatar, otherwise I have absolutely nothing against you or your brother," Zuko told her, but as soon as he said it he mentally gasped at himself.

_What did I just say?! That is __**so**__ not true!_

"Cool, that's good to know. But yea, your uncle really seems the understanding type."

Zuko pushed his thoughts aside so he could think of what to say next.

"He is. I don't know what I'd do without him. Actually, I'd probably have either killed all of my crew by ordering them to do something dangerous or I would have given up on capturing the Avatar… or killed myself trying."

There was a moment of silence before Katara spoke again.

"Why do you want to capture Aang so badly?" she asked softly.

"I told you a few nights ago; I need to regain something I've lost; my honour."

"How's capturing a fourteen-year-old boy going to help you regain your honour? How did you _lose_ your honour in the first place?" she asked bitterly, frowning slightly.

"There's more to it than you know… I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Zuko had sat back again and his hands were in his lap. Now Katara leaned forward and put a hand on _his_ shoulder.

"I could never expect you to understand how I feel after what the pirates did to me last night. Tell me what else there is to your story so that I could at least try to understand some of it."

The Fire Prince looked at her and he saw her eyes were silently begging him to open up to her. He hesitated for a moment.

_Should I really be telling __**her**__ something like this?_

"If you insist, but it's a bit of a long story, so make yourself comfortable."

"I'm a good listener," she said as she settled back.

"Well, let's see. It all started when I was fifteen. I already knew I was meant to be the next Fire Lord, so I wanted to learn as much about my nation as I could. One day, there was a meeting being held to discuss an invasion plan for an Earth Kingdom city. I went in with my uncle, but before we went in, he warned me not to say anything, whatever anyone else said. And I agreed," the Fire Prince paused.

"You didn't keep your mouth shut, did you?" the water girl asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I went in to listen," he pressed on, slightly annoyed at her, "the plan was we would send the Forty First Division out the front as a distraction and then send a real invasion in from behind. But you see, the Forty First Division was only a small Division and it was made up entirely of rookies, so they didn't stand a chance against the defenses of the city in question. In other words, they were going to sacrifice all of those men, and they were only young men, cause they were all rookies. And while the town's people were distracted, another division would sneak in through the back gates and take control of the town through there. But I didn't agree with sacrificing the lives of so many men who loved and served there nation – I didn't believe in betraying them."

"So, yea, you didn't keep your mouth shut," Katara said.

"I spoke my thoughts, but I was out of term, and as punishment, I had to compete in an Agni Kai. That's a Firebending Duel," Prince Zuko added, as he caught her confused look. He paused again; his eyes were fixed on the floor. "When I stepped into that arena, I was ready to fight. I looked up at my opponent, expecting to see the old general I had challenged, but it wasn't him…" He stopped again and he looked as if the mere memory of his experience caused him great pain. "It was Fire Lord Ozai; my own father." His eyes filled with tears.

"Did he know it was you when he stepped into the arena?!"

The Prince nodded.

"I refused to fight my own father for two reasons; one, he's the Fire Lord, Agni Kai or not, attacking the Fire Lord is treason, punishable by death, not that I would have stood much of a chance against him anyways. Two, he's my father, I love him, why would I want to fight him?!" he choked.

_Zuko! What are you doing?! Love is weakness and you just admitted it to your enemy! And you just said that you wouldn't have stood a chance against someone - that's directly showing weakness! You fool!_

"That sounds like the choice any decent child would have made in that situation," Katara said.

_You try keeping something like this bottled up inside for three years and then you tell me how you feel! _he yelled at himself.

"I didn't fight, but he wouldn't accept my forfeit. He stepped forward and when I wouldn't attack him, he attacked me." The Prince paused and ran his hand over the crimson scar on the left side of his face. "And I paid the price."

_And you're still jabbering on! You're unbelievable! _

_Well, it's a little late to stop now!_

"Oh my Gods! But why? What kind of father would do that to his own son?" Katara sounded appalled.

"_**You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher."**_He heard his father's voice in his head.

Prince Zuko shrugged and bit his bottom lip.

"I was unconscious for almost three days. When I woke up, my father told me he was banishing me for showing great weakness and disrespect and bringing shame on the family, and the only way to regain my honour and come back home, was to find and capture the Avatar," he finished and bowed his head a little.

A heavy weight that had been in his chest and on his shoulders for years now seemed to have just been lifted. And it felt really, _really_ good.

"So, that's why you want Aang! You don't really care about you're honour, do you? You just want your father to accept you! You just want to go home!"

The Prince hesitated for a moment. How could he bring himself to admit to that? But after a moment, he nodded.

"My father never accepted me. No matter what I did the only people who really cared about me were my mother and uncle. And as you've noticed, my uncle followed me into banishment and has done everything he can to keep me safe."

"What about your mother? Did she just let your father do this to you?" Katara really couldn't believe this. Was his life really this complicated?

"I'm not so sure how to answer that; my mother left when I was nine." The Prince closed his eyes as tears trickled down his cheeks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My mother left too; all I have left of her is –" She stopped as she felt for the necklace around her neck and realized that it was no longer in her possession.

"Hold on!" Prince Zuko suddenly looked up smiling. He grabbed his right wrist and fingered at something under his sleeve.

When he pulled his hand away, Katara's mother's necklace was in his hand.

"I still have this." He held it out for her to take, "I think it's time I gave it back."

The water girl looked overjoyed.

"Thank you!" she quickly snatched it up and tied it around her neck and stroked the pendent lovingly.

"You're the first person I've told all of this to," the Prince said.

"I understand now; you just want your father to love you and let you come home to him."

Zuko nodded.

"And I understand that what the pirates did to you is wrong and you have every right to be upset. What they've done will scar you for life, but in a different way than the way my father has scarred me." He ran his fingertips over the burn mark again.

"I'm still not just going to let you take Aang," Katara said solemnly.

"And I'm still not going to stop trying to get him," Zuko replied.

"But for now, I think we need to put our differences aside and work together to stay alive and get out of this situation," the waterbender suggested, "deal?"

The Prince considered her and half smiled, "Deal."

* * *

**So... what did you think? Well, R&R and tell me and the next chappie will be with you soon! XD!**


	5. 5: A Month With the Pirates

**Sup?! Ok, someone said that the last one was a short one. It was longer than the 1st and 2nd chappie, but hey. Anyways, this one's a long one... like, more than twice the size of chapter 3. So, R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

**5. A Month with the Pirates**

Katara clung to the Prince's arm as the first mate entered the prison cell.

"Leave her alone!" Zuko yelled as the man pulled her towards the door.

The pirate rounded on him and gave him a hard backhander.

"Learn your place, fire scum! You have no authority here; you're a prisoner."

The pirate shoved the water girl out of the cell and the brig, locking the door behind him.

This had been the way things had gone for almost a week now.

Zuko and the water girl would spend the day in their prison cell in the brig, silent most of the time and deep in thought of how to escape. The only time they had extra company was when the pirates brought them food. They had decided it was safe to eat it and that they had no choice unless they wanted to starve to death. Katara and the Fire Prince would work together to get the salt out of the water so it would be safe to drink.

And there was of course the times when the pirates came to take Katara above deck to have some "fun". Whenever the pirates came for her, Prince Zuko would try and protect her and keep them away from her, for her sake, but every time he failed and then sat alone in the dank, dark cell for the next few hours, awaiting her return. After the few hours, _when_ she returned, she was in her underwear. Occasionally she came back not wearing the top half of her undergarments and was in a worse state than usual. Each night, no matter what her condition, the Fire Prince would make sure she got dressed and he did his best to try and comfort her. On the worst nights, he sometimes had to help her get dressed. He'd let her cry onto him and wait for her to fall asleep before he did, and in the morning, she'd thank him for taking care of her and then the whole cycle would start over again. Each time this happened, Zuko argued with himself about whether or not it was the right thing to do. But each time he debated less and less. Slowly, he had come to the conclusion that it was the honourable thing to do and he would do it, no matter where in the war he and Katara stood with each other.

Every now and then, they'd start a conversation about what might be in the food or what their friends and family might be up to or how much longer they would be on "this Gods forsaken pirate ship!"

Sometimes, one of them would wonder out loud if they ever _would _get off the ship. Katara had been the last to voice it, just that very morning.

"Don't say that, we _will _get out of here. If my uncle comes before your brother, then I'll take you with me." Zuko wasn't completely sure if he really would take her with him, but he knew that saying it would both be a comfort to her and shut her up about it.

"Will you? Thanks Zuko," she had mumbled back.

Zuko had nodded in acceptance to her thanks and they had spent the rest of the day in silence.

Now Zuko sat alone in the brig, remembering their brief conversation and wondering how far the pirates were going to push Katara tonight.

After the first hour of aloneness, the Fire Prince drifted off into a restless sleep.

There was the click of the brig door unlocking and swinging open and Prince Zuko sat up, suddenly wide awake as the pirate captain dragged Katara into the brig and threw her into the prison cell where she curled up into a ball, already in tears and crying.

Zuko realized much to his horror, that she was completely naked.

"What have you done to her?!" he yelled at the pirate captain, who laughed bitterly as he threw her clothes to the other side of the cell.

"I decided it was time for me to have a bit of fun. I have more fun with women than the rest of the crew," he sneered back.

Zuko let out a cry of rage and launched himself at the man. The captain quickly shut the door to the cell so the Prince slammed into the cold metal bars.

He laughed again, a cold, haunting, heartless, _evil _laugh.

He turned and left the brig, the Fire Prince glaring at him the whole way out.

When the brig door clicked shut, he turned back to the waterbender. She was still curled up and crying heavily.

Zuko knew that trying to make her get dressed would be pointless while she was in such a hysterical state, and she would feel even more uncomfortable.

The Prince thought for a moment and then came up with a fairly good idea. Quickly, he took off his outer robe so that he was only wearing his shirt and pants. He knelt down beside the girl and draped the robe over her body, like a blanket.

He picked up her clothes and went back over to her. He folded her dress and gently slipped it under her head.

"You put these on when you're ready," he whispered into her ear as he slipped her underwear under the robe with her.

All she could manage for a reply was a nod as she continued to cry.

This felt so awkward to the Prince. He was almost starting to fear that he was perhaps making her more uncomfortable by being there. But he had to push these thoughts aside; she would be better off with him there making her more uncomfortable than if she were alone with only herself for comfort.

Prince Zuko put one hand on her shoulder and rubbed her back with the other. It was the best comfort he could give her without knowing he was making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"It's ok, it's over now," he whispered in a shaky voice.

"He'll come back… he'll come back… he'll take me again… oh, please don't let them take me again," she sobbed back almost incomprehensibly.

"I'll try." But inside Zuko knew he couldn't hold his own against the pirates without setting the ship on fire, "I'll try."

He settled down behind her and continued to rub her back in an effort to comfort her. Every now and then he'd stroke her hair and whisper, "It's ok, you're safe," to her.

He would do just about anything to calm her down; he hated it when girls cried, especially when he was the only person around. It had been something he'd hated all his life and he was sure it would never change. When a girl cried around him and he couldn't stop her, he felt guilty, even if he knew damn well that it wasn't his fault.

The water girl cried heavily for at least half an hour. As she began to calm, the Fire Prince wiped away some of her tears, but for every tear he wiped away two more seemed to appear on her already tear soaked face.

After an hour, her sobs had calmed a lot, but they still came rapidly.

She didn't cry anymore, Zuko had to wonder if she had cried every tear she ever had possessed in her being and was now tear dry, but she still shook violently. Zuko wasn't sure if she shook with sobs or the pain and shock of what the pirate captain had just made her do.

"Do you want to try and get dressed now?" he whispered.

She shook her head and mouthed the word no.

"Ok, just rest then," he crooned.

She nodded and tried to calm her breathing. She didn't succeed for another half an hour. They lay in silence for a while.

* * *

Her breathing was calm and slow and even. Zuko looked at her and realized that she was asleep.

"Just rest," he whispered as he lay his head down.

Prince Zuko closed his eyes and tried to doze off, but he couldn't. He opened his eyes again. He wasn't tired; he was alert as ever.

The Fire Prince sat up again and looked at the sleeping Katara. He had to take care of her. He wouldn't sleep; he'd watch over her.

_I have to take care of her. If I don't, then this situation could only get worse. I don't want her to cry anymore, it makes me want to puke!_

He brushed a tear off her cheek and pulled a few stray hairs behind her ear.

_I'm taking care of her and that's that._

And for once, Zuko didn't argue with himself at all about it. He just did it.

It was going to be a long night.

_Sick,_ her stomach felt sick.

_Pain, why do I hurt so much?_

_Last night, what happened?_

Flashbacks went through her mind and Katara remembered what had happened, she knew why she hurt, she knew why she felt sick.

She opened her eyes and looked around the brig.

The water girl shivered, but then she realized that she wasn't cold.

_Why am I so warm? I don't remember getting dressed._

She examined the material over her. It was red and blanket like. It was Zuko's robe.

She realized she was naked underneath it.

"How are you feeling?" came a quiet voice from behind her.

Katara rolled over and saw the Fire Prince next to her with his warm hand on her shoulder.

_So warm._

"How do you think?" she replied in a bitter whisper, "I feel terrible."

"I thought you might say that," he whispered back.

There was a moment of silence before he continued.

"C'mon, get dressed." It sounded more like a friendly gesture than an order.

"Ok, turn around thought."

He nodded and then faced the other way.

Quickly, Katara sat up and slipped her clothes on.

"Are you decent?" the Prince said after a while.

"Yes, you can look."

They turned to face each other.

"You look tired, did you sleep last night?" Katara asked.

"No, I couldn't sleep. I was too worried about you," he half smiled as he looked at the waterbender.

"Ha, ha," she was sarcastic, but then her tone became more serious, "were you really worried about me?"

The Fire Prince nodded.

"You stayed up all night because of me?" she sounded shocked, amused and disappointed all in one.

"Well, by the time _you_ stopped crying and got to sleep, it was only a few hours before first light."

"Oh, sorry." She felt guilty.

"Nah, no big deal. It just didn't feel right, going to sleep when that had just happened to you," he admitted.

"Gee, thanks," Katara felt a little better.

The Prince shrugged.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Thanks… you know, for taking care of me and well… caring about me," she said, and she gave him a smile.

He felt a strange sensation run through his chest and stomach, and it was something that he had never felt before.

"It was nothing," he assured her.

"Well, I think you need some sleep," she raised her eyebrows and pushed aside the past night's events with a tremendous effort.

"No, I'm not –"

"Sleep!" Katara laughed.

"I'm not –"

But before he could say anything more, Katara put a finger to his lips and gently pushed him onto his back, he lay down almost willingly.

"I said sleep," she said gently.

Her eyes told him she felt guilty for having caused him to stay up all night.

Prince Zuko sighed and nodded.

"That's more like it," she teased as she removed her finger.

"You need to keep sleeping too," he yawned.

"And I will."

With that, Katara lay down next to him and lay her head on his chest.

The Fire Prince tensed for a moment but relaxed as she put a hand over his stomach.

Zuko felt himself blush deeply and was grateful that she didn't look at his face.

_Hey, what's she doing? _he asked himself nervously.

He slipped one hand around the other side of her and pulled her closer to him.

_Oi! What are you doing?!_

She didn't shrink away or push herself away from him or yell at him. She just lay beside him with her head on his chest.

_Look, I'm tired and I just wanna go to sleep. I really can not be bothered arguing with you... or me... whichever you or I consider yourself or myself. So just leave me alone and get over it!_

He didn't argue any further with himself as his brain switched itself off in relief.

"Sleep," was all Katara could say.

And they both drifted off.

* * *

A pirate shoved the half naked waterbender into the prison cell but she didn't let herself fall to the ground. The pirate threw her dress and the upper half of her underwear to the ground and left.

After a moment, Katara bent down and redressed herself, but she didn't cry. She was biting her bottom lip hard as a sign of stress, but she refused to cry.

She hated what had been done to her but she still didn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She was use to the things that happened to her now, but she still hated them.

Warm hands were placed on her shoulders and she leaned back against the man they belonged to.

"How bad do you feel tonight?" Zuko whispered in her ear as he had done for a whole week since the pirate captain had dishonoured her.

"I'm not going to sleep for a while, but I'm not going to cry," she whispered truthfully, but in a shaky voice, determine not to be overtaken by emotion. She didn't look at him for fear of not being able to control herself if she did.

"Do you want me to say up with you?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Well, I'm going to anyways."

"I know you are. You always stay up at least until I'm asleep."

The Fire Prince laughed gently.

"That's because I care."

"I know you do," she sighed, "thank you."

They sat down together and Katara lay her head on the young man's shoulder.

Zuko lent back against the wall of the cell and stroked the girl's hair.

And that was how they fell asleep. It as how they had slept since the morning after Katara's bad experience with the captain. And it was how they expected to sleep until they were rescued or escape.

Together.

* * *

When Zuko woke up, Katara wasn't in his arms.

He looked around and saw her leaning against the wall. She was already wide awake.

"Good morning," she greeted him dully.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked, raising his eyebrow in concern.

He was still truly worried about the girl's well being. He didn't want to see her slip into depression or hurt herself in the hope that it would end her misery.

She shrugged, "A couple of hour."

"What have you been doing?"

"Thinking," she sounded as if she wanted to say something more.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Just… stuff." And Katara knew he wasn't convinced.

He got up and scooted over to her where he knelt down in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.

He tilted her head so she looked at him.

"Tell me what's wrong. Is it what those jerks are doing to you?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"Well," she thought for a moment, "you know what the pirate captain did to me a week ago?"

The Prince nodded.

"Well, you know what... some of the... results, can be?" she whispered and seemed to be suffocated by her words as if she was trying to hold back tears and an emotional out burst.

Zuko nodded again, this time slowly and uncertainly.

_What are you getting at?_ He thought uneasily.

He knew she couldn't be getting at anything good.

"Well… I think…" tears trickled down her face as she tried not to sob, "I think..."

"_No…_" the Fire Prince breathed.

"I think... I think... oh, I hate this world," she stated with a touch of bitterness to her voice.

"_No... _don't say what I'm thinking," _please don't say it, please don't say it._

"I think… I know; I can feel it. I'm…I'm..." she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Not pregnant," Zuko whispered, but so softly that her ears only just caught the haunting words.

The water girl nodded and burst into tears. She leaned forward and cried onto his shoulder. Zuko wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"How do you know for sure?" he asked quietly.

"I-I-I just… it's my body… I can feel the changes even thought they aren't v-visible…" she sobbed helplessly.

Zuko couldn't believe his ears. Well, actually he could; he just desperately didn't want to.

_She's pregnant with that fucking pirate captains baby? _he thought, _he'll never help her raise it. He'll leave her to look after it herself._

"I'm not r-ready," she hiccoughed as she shook violently, "I'm too young… I'm not re-ready… I can't d-do it…"

"Katara, don't say that, listen to me!" Zuko said firmly.

"I can't be a single mum," she wailed.

"You won't be!"

Katara choked back a sob.

"What do you m-m-mean? It's not l-like h-he'll help m-me," she stuttered.

"You are not going to be a single mum," he repeated firmly as he pushed Katara back a little so that they could see each other, "I'm going to help you take care of it."

Katara was stunned.

"You-you'll help?" she coughed incredulously, "as in… you'll actually help me raise the baby?"

The Fire Prince nodded.

They stared at each other for a moment in silence before the water girl burst into tears again.

Zuko embraced her and let his shoulder become drenched in her tears.

They sat like that for an hour before the water girl calmed down.

She was still sobbing when one of the pirates came into the brig with their breakfast. He took no notice of the distraught girl and left without a word.

They sat for another five minutes before Katara could calm down enough to eat her breakfast.

As they ate, Katara spoke.

"Why?"

Zuko knew what she meant.

"I'm going to help you raise the baby because I know you can't cope with doing it on your own. I'm doing it because I care."

"What about Aang and Sokka?"

"What about them?"

"When they rescue me and you also get out of here, you'll go back to hunting Aang and Sokka and I will keep fighting you off."

"Who says I'm going to go back to hunting Aang?"

Katara looked at him, shocked.

_Hey, what am I doing? _Zuko asked himself.

_I'm making up my mind. I'm doing what I really want instead of letting someone else tell me what to do. I'm going against my father._

"What? You mean… you're not going to keep hunting Aang?" she asked.

"No, I'm not. Actually, I think I'll join you. I want to teach Aang Firebending," he announced firmly.

_Wow! Um... are you sure you will want to do this? _

"Really?!" Katara wanted so much, more than almost anything to know that his words were true.

"Yes, really," the Prince whispered back.

_Ok, you seem to have made up your mind. Ok, I'm not going to argue with you; you're in a good mood and I don't want to spoil it. _

_Smart idea._

"Oh, Zuko!" Katara flung her arms around him and hugged him tight.

She gently kissed him on the cheek on the burnt side of his face before she sat back again to smile at him. He blushed slightly on the cheek that wasn't scared.

"Jeez, one minute you're in tears and then the next you're over the moon," he commented.

The water girl shrugged as more tears ran down her cheeks, but she was laughing and still smiling nonetheless.

She steadied herself suddenly and put on a slightly more serious face.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked in a whisper.

He thought for a moment. In his head his mind was telling him to tell her something big and deep and true.

_We've been through so much together over the past few weeks. You've opened up to me and let me open up to you. You've helped me survive on this ship. I care so much because, from all of this, I don't see you as the enemy anymore. I see you as a friend, no, more than a friend. Katara, I care so much because I'm in love with you._

"I just do," he said. He couldn't tell her what his mind, heart and soul were telling him to.

They sat the rest of the day in silence and tears.

* * *

Half way through the second week of her pregnancy, Katara started throwing up her food.

Both teenagers knew this was a common side effect of pregnancy and both teenagers knew they were going to have to learn to put up with it.

The Fire Prince continued to try and keep the pirates away from his knew friend, but to no avail.

Each night one of the crew members would come into the brig and take the young woman above deck, hitting the Fire Prince whenever he got in the way.

The girl would be taken above deck and dishonoured and then thrown back into the prison cell in the brig with Zuko.

Zuko would comfort her and make sure she redressed herself and got to sleep. He stayed up at least until she was asleep and if she didn't sleep then neither did he.

It had almost been three whole weeks since they had been captured when one night, Katara came back into the brig with a nasty looking bump on her head as well as several bruises on her exposed ribs and not-yet-bulging abdomen.

"What the hell did they do to you?" the Fire Prince asked as she pulled her dress on her over her head and smoothed out the creases as she weaved her arms through the arm holes.

"I tried to waterbend and they bashed me for it," she grumbled as she winced at the pain all over her.

"You need some rest," Zuko told her.

She agreed as they lay back together and she shut her eyes.

She drifted off into a restless sleep after five minutes.

* * *

When she woke up, Zuko was already awake.

"One of them just brought breakfast down," he indicated to the bowl of slimy meant-to-be rice and she sat up slowly.

The water girl followed him over to where the food was and pinched her nose as she shoveled the first scoop into her mouth.

She braced herself for the gut wrenching feeling and the urge to puke, but nothing happened.

She blinked in confusion.

The Prince had noticed too and stared at her curiously.

"You over your morning sickness?" he enquired.

Katara thought for a moment.

_Why aren't I throwing up?_ Something clicked in Katara's head as she realized what was going on.

"It's a miscarriage!" she announced delightfully.

Now it was the Princes turn to blink in confusion.

"They beat me up pretty badly last night. It's really easy to lose your baby in the first few months of a pregnancy; the unborn baby is really fragile," she explained.

"So, wait…you're not going to have a baby anymore?" Zuko asked.

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure I've had a miscarriage," she smiled.

"Woo-hoo! Although, I do wonder what it would have been like to be a stand-in father for a baby."

"You don't mind that you're not going to be a daddy, do you?" she asked sarcastically.

"Of course not!" he answered.

"Good," she grunted.

The Fire Prince laughed and pulled the water girl into a hug.

She rested her head on his collar bone and they gently rocked back and forth with the ship.

"Can I pretend to be the daddy of the next one?" Zuko asked slyly.

Katara yanked at his ponytail.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed rubbing the back of his head.

The water girl lay back smiling.

"Give it a few more years and you can be the real daddy of the next one," she murmured.

Prince Zuko laughed, "I heard that!"

He lay down next to her and put his arms around her waist and pulled her body up to his.

They didn't need to eat their breakfast; they were filled with silent joy.

* * *

Neither of the teens felt it necessary to bring up Katara's pregnancy or miscarriage with the pirates or the pirate captain. They didn't plan to mention it to anyone.

Well, Katara was going to tell Sokka and Aang what had happened, but they have an automatic right to know so they don't need to be mentioned.

And Zuko was definitely sure he'd inform his uncle that he almost became a stand-in father of the water girl's baby.

But for now, they'd both keep there mouths shut.

It had been four days since the miscarriage; they had been on the ship for three weeks and two days and were getting use to their routine.

Neither of them could really be bothered fighting the pirates to much. Katara didn't cry at all when she came back from the pirates "fun sessions", but often stayed awake most of the night in Zuko's arms.

They took care of each other when they could and sat back and let things be when they knew they couldn't do anything to change them.

Towards the end of the third week, their lunch was delivered one afternoon by the pirate captain himself.

Katara eyed him cautiously as he slipped the food into their cell and straightened up.

He stared down at his two prisoners, mainly Katara and she felt Prince Zuko's grip on her arm tighten.

Finally, the pirate captain spoke, "We are to make berth in a port soon." He smirked in at them and they both held their breath and waited for him to continue. But he said nothing more, just turned and left.

The two prisoners gave each other confused looks before scooting over to eat their lunch.

* * *

"What do you think he's planning?" Katara asked her cellmate, "what did he mean by telling us that?"

"I dunno, but something tells me he meant nothing good, not for us. And I think we're going to find out soon."

"How soon though? It's been three days since he said that."

"I dunno, just soon," the Prince answered.

Katara sighed.

_What's he planning for us?_

Over the next few days the pirates "fun sessions" with the Water Tribe girl didn't seem so violent. She even came back completely dressed one night.

"What are they up to?" the Prince asked.

The water girl had merely shrugged.

"Beats me. But I'm not complaining about it."

They both laughed.

* * *

**I'm sorry if this is moving too fast for you. Sorry if this is too mushy... hope you like mushy! **

**If you have read all of the author's notes as well as the whole chappie then you have just read 4595 words. Anyways, R&R! XD! **


	6. 6: Plans, Part 1: A Baby

**Urgh... I got sick. My mum made me stay home today and so I thought I'd get this chappie up. Well, I might end up airing chapter 7 on Saturday instead. Anyways XD Enjoy! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Trust me, if I did, there would have been Zutara a loooooooonnnnnnggggggg time ago!**

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**6. Plans, Part 1: A Baby**

The two prisoners woke to the sound of the brig door opening and closing and footsteps approaching the cell.

When they opened their eyes and sat up, their eyes were rudely greeted by the sight of the first mate.

"Just thought I'd let yous two know, we're in port now," the pirate smirked. "Also, there's no one here that's gonna save ya, so don't bother trying to escape."

The two prisoners listened in annoyance. To know they were so close to land but know they can't be safe on it was like torture.

"Also, I think it's time you learned of the captains plans for ya. We're gonna be spending a month 'ere, so we'll have all the fun we need at the brothel before we set sail again. So you won't need to worry about entertaining us much… maybe not even at all." He shot Katara a dirty look.

She glared back at him and the Fire Prince put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"Anyways, we're gonna be another five months at sea after we set sail again before we reach our next stop; Port Venture. Now, in Venture there is a rather pricy brothel that pays good money for whores." His eyes narrowed on Katara and her heart stopped beating for a moment.

The pirate grinned evilly and laughed.

"Yes, that's where we're planning to dispose of you, my pretty," he reached through the bars of the cell and ran a finger down her cheek and along her jaw. She shrunk back at his touch and the Fire Prince quickly placed himself between the girl and the pirate.

"And as for your self, _Your Majesty_." He made a mocking bow. "Once we're back out at sea, you walk the plank, with a bag over your head and your feet chained together and your hands tied behind your back!" he announced gleefully.

The Fire Prince and the water girl stared dumbly at him in disbelief. The things he was saying were truly horrible, but they both knew that they were true.

He strode out of the brig and slammed and locked the door behind him with a resounding click.

Katara burst into tears for the first time in a while and Prince Zuko pulled her into a hug.

She wasn't the only one to cry though and she wasn't just crying about the fact that she was going to spend the rest of her life in a brothel; she cried because her now closest friend had been condemned to death.

The Prince shed tears for his fate; he hated the idea of walking the plank, bind folded and tied up to boot! But he also cried for the fate of the waterbender who he had become so close to over the past month.

They were both scared for themselves and each other.

"There is no hope…" Katara wept.

"No… there has to be something," the Prince whispered back.

But neither of them could think of _what_ at that point in time.

They just cried.

Just cried.

* * *

The ship had been ghostly quiet since they had arrived in the port. The two teenagers were only given breakfast and sometimes dinner. All they had for company was each other and they spent most of the day crying for their fates or in silence.

They only talked a little and it always had something to do with their situation.

They were lazing around when Katara spoke.

"I wonder if Sokka has stopped looking for me yet."

"Of course not! He's your brother; he'd never give up on you!" Zuko told her in shock.

"But he'll never find me… Aang needs to get to the North Pole as soon as possible, so the sooner they stop looking for me, the sooner Aang _can_ get to the North Pole," she explained glumly.

Suddenly, something in Zuko's mind clicked.

"The sooner they find you the sooner they'll stop looking for you!"

The water girl looked at him, unimpressed.

"So, they need to find you!" he went on, as if she was missing the big point.

"Yea, well how are they gonna find me?" she asked, arms folded over her chest.

"If I… if you…if we…oh…never mind…you'd hate the idea…it's a terrible idea," he gave up and turned away looking annoyed and ashamed with himself.

_What the __**hell**__ made me even __**think**__ of that?!_

Katara scooted over to where he sat and knelt down behind him.

"Tell me. Any idea to get us out of here is good."

"No, mine is really, really, _really_ bad."

"If we use it, will it work?"

"Most likely," the Prince sounded uncertain.

"Then tell me," Katara urged.

The Prince turned to look at her and his expression told her he was afraid to share his idea.

_Please, don't make me tell you._

But he could see in her eyes that the only way of getting out of telling her of his idea was if he somehow, magically, reversed time and made it that he had never opened his mouth. And he knew that was impossible.

After a moment he began.

"Brothels don't take pregnant women."

"I had a miscarriage, stupid!" Katara sounded exasperated.

"Yea, I know, but I was thinking, if you got pregnant again…" Zuko trailed off and started blushing violently.

_You idiot! You should have left it at that!_

"I thought the pirates said they weren't gonna use me as a sex toy anymore. Anyway, if I was pregnant they wouldn't bother trying to sell me. They'd just kill both of us."

"But if they didn't know you were pregnant they'd sell you and then you'd tell the brothel owner and he'd go after the pirates to get his money back. Then you could save me and we could both escape!"

"Yea, I guess that would work. But there's just one problem…I'M NOT PREGNANT!" She looked at him in exasperation as she said it. "How do you expect me to get pregnant?!"

The young firebender was blushing furiously now.

"Uh…well, see…that's…that's…where I come in…" he faltered nervously as his face became redder and redder and his voice had dropped beyond a whisper… if that were even possible.

Katara's mouth fell open as she realized what he was suggesting.

Prince Zuko caught sight of her appalled expression and quickly looked away.

"Zuko, why would you even think about that?! I mean, I know it would get us out, but only if it actually works! And if it doesn't then we would have dishonoured each other for nothing!"

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything; I don't even know what I was thinking! I'm sorry! I just want to get out of here so badly I'm thinking _way _too far!"

They were silent. Zuko felt disgusted with himself; hadn't Katara been dishonoured enough by her enemies? The last thing she needed was to be dishonoured by her friend.

They sat the rest of the day in awkward silence.

* * *

As night started to fall, Katara couldn't take the silence any longer. She was certain that if it went on any longer, she would lose her mind.

"Why did you suggest that? What made you think it?" She kept her voice gentle and steady.

The Fire Prince looked at her, unsure on how to answer.

Katara looked back, begging him to answer.

"I…" he hesitated, "I thought of it because… well, I just want us to get out of here."

"Yea, but why would you think of something like _that_?"

"Because…"

"Zuko, are you still willing to be a dad?" she asked firmly.

"Yes." The Fire Prince sounded uneasy at this question.

"Would you help me raise a baby if I had one, whether it was your or not?"

"Yes."

"Why did you think of the idea of being the real father of my baby?" she asked.

"I just did!" A blush was deepening in the firebender's cheeks.

"Do you still see me as the enemy, or do you see me as a friend?"

"I see you as a friend," he replied, lifting his gaze to meet hers so that she knew he wasn't lying. But he could not keep eye-contact with her for long and looked back at the wooden floor between them.

"Just a friend? Or more than just a friend?" Katara whispered this as she brought her face alarmingly close to his.

Deep blue clashed with gold as the two teenagers looked into each others eyes once more and Zuko knew she'd be able to tell if he was lying.

"I see you as… ok, I see you as more than just a friend," he whispered back to her.

She brought her face a little closer to his.

"Prince Zuko, do you love me?"

The Fire Prince stared into those hypnotic blue eyes and felt like he could just melt.

"Yes, I do love you," he breathed.

"Then, Zuko…" She came even closer, their faces were a mere centimeter apart. "…I'll go through with your idea, because I love you too, and I know you'll stay with me to take care of the baby and… I know this plan will work."

The Fire Prince's eyes swelled with tears.

The water girl brushed her lips to his as tears of her own slid down her face.

"I love you," Zuko whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

Katara rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

And before either of them could say anything more, their lips met and he kissed her deeply, tears spilling everywhere.

They broke apart for a moment.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you?"

He didn't answer; he just smiled sadly and kissed her again.

"Now, what if someone finds us?" she asked.

"They won't, they aren't back yet so they won't be bothered feeding us or checking on us. Now, shut up." He kissed her vigorously again and they both faced each other in a kneeling position.

Katara pushed the firebender so he knelt back and she wriggled forward and placed one of her legs on either side of him and sat in his lap.

His hands tugged at her dress and her at his pants.

The night passed in a blur of ecstasy.

* * *

Katara could feel his warm breath on her neck and his warm hands on her waist and belly.

She opened her eyes and rolled over to face her newly found lover.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a half smile.

"Hello."

He kissed her gently on the forehead and she snuggled into his chest.

She wasn't at all surprised to find that they were both naked. She closed her eyes and listened to the steady beating of his heart.

_So peaceful…_

Suddenly, Zuko sat up.

"Get dressed, quick!" he ordered and Katara knew he meant the pirates were coming and she quickly pulled her dress on.

When she turned around again, the Prince was already dressed.

The door swung open and one of the pirates walked in and quickly delivered their breakfast. He left without a second glance at them.

Both prisoners sighed in relief after he left and made their way over to the tray of slimy food that was their only meal for the day.

They began to eat in silence which the Prince was the first to break.

"So… how are you feeling?" he asked nervously.

She eyed him suspiciously, "Oh, yea, I'm fine," she said.

A slight blush was noticeable on the Prince's face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't think of any other way," he apologized.

Katara moved in closer to him and put her arms around his neck.

"You're better at it than the pirates any day," she whispered into his ear.

She kissed his neck tenderly and his arms snaked around her waist to bring her closer. He kissed her cheek and they held each other tight.

Zuko placed a hand on her belly and looked at her.

"Do we know if it has worked yet?"

The girl shook her head, "Give it a few days, then if anything worked, I'll be able to tell."

"Ok."

They lay down and went back to sleep.

Neither of them were hungry and they were both tired from the previous nights activities. And it wasn't like they had anything better to do.

* * *

"You're in a particularly good mood this morning, Katara."

"Yes, I am, aren't I?"

The Prince nodded.

The water girl smiled quietly to herself while the Prince watched her.

After a moment of silence, Zuko spoke again.

"Well… why are you in such a good mood?"

Katara couldn't help but grin broadly.

"Why do you think?" she giggled.

"I dunno… what, are you pregnant or something?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, actually… yes, I am." Katara smiled.

Zuko's eyes bulged for a moment as he took in what had just been said.

"What?! I was only joking!"

"Well… I wasn't," she laughed.

"Wha-… are you sure? I mean, how can you tell?!" He sounded flustered.

_Oh, please don't tell me you've reconsidered being a father._

"I can feel the changes, just like last time," she answered, quietly.

The Prince stared dumbly at her for a moment.

Then, "Woo-hoo!" He jumped over to where his lover sat and hugged her tightly.

Katara hugged back as relief flooded her insides. She could feel him shaking with joy filled sobs and his tears fell into her hair. Tears of her own soaked his shoulder as she laughed lovingly at their situation.

"Zuko, you're gonna be a dad," she chuckled.

"I'm gonna be a dad," he repeated, "you're gonna be a mum."

"We're gonna be parents." They both laughed and cried and smiled and sobbed and held each other tight.

"We can't let them find out about this," Katara whispered after a while.

"No, we can't," the Prince agreed.

He kissed her gently on the corner of her mouth.

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes.

"A baby," Zuko breathed.

"Yes, Zuko; a baby."

* * *

**How did you like it? Well tell me in your reviews.**

**XD**

**Thank you very much! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Love ya's all!**


	7. 7: Plans, Part 2: An Escape Plan

**Hey peeps! XD**

**Anyways, this was originally meant to be part of chapter 6, but then I decided to make it a separate chapter. So, enjoy! R&R! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Any original characters and plots I do own. So there!**

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**7. Plans, Part 2: Escape Plan**

"So, what is the plan exactly?"

"Well, once those jerks sell you to the brothel and we set sail again, you reveal that you're pregnant and the owner of the brothel won't want you there. He'll want his money back and he'll head after the pirates, if he doesn't take you with him, you might have to stow away, but once you're back on the ship, you can come and save me and then, when we get back to land we'll start looking for my uncle and crew and you're brother and the Av- I mean Aang," the Prince explained quickly.

"Ok, then what?" Katara asked. "What about _us_, and the baby?" She put her hands over her abdomen.

The Fire Prince reached out and put his hands over hers.

"I'll stay with you. We'll raise it like any other loving parents would. As for us…"

"I'm not so sure my brother will take kindly to you getting me pregnant."

"I didn't think so."

"But we'll find a way to get him to accept it."

The Fire Prince nodded.

"But how do you feel about traveling the world with the Avatar while you're pregnant? And then when you actually have the baby… are you going to wanna drop out to make it safer for it or will you keep going?" the Prince enquired.

The waterbender was silence for a moment.

"Yes, I'll keep going. I promised Aang I'd help him master the elements; I'm not breaking my promise or letting my friend down no matter what!" she claimed with every ounce of confidence and determination she had in her being.

Her eyes sparkled with honesty and Prince Zuko knew she wasn't lying. He smiled and put an arm around her.

"We set sail tomorrow if I've been counting the day's right," he informed her.

"So, I'm almost a month pregnant," she commented.

Her lover nodded and stroked her abdomen with the gentleness of a father in his teenaged fingertips.

"Your brother is going to wring my neck."

They both started laughing as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"Yes, he is."

* * *

As Zuko had predicted, they set sail the next day.

They had three meals a day for the first time in a month and this time, it was made with fresh ingredients. They were still given salt water, but that wasn't a problem.

Once again they had to learn to deal with Katara throwing up half of her stomach after each meal; the rocking of the ship didn't exactly help either.

As the pirates had said, Katara wasn't used as a sex toy anymore. Luckily for her, they had satisfied their lust whilst they were in port.

The captain had given up trying to get the Avatar's whereabouts out of the waterbender; he would have moved from where he last was by now anyway.

But life in the brig was long and almost boring. The only thing that kept the prisoners sane on the five month voyage to Port Venture was each other's company.

Most of the days in the brig were spent in silence, although conversation had increased by hours since the first day they had found themselves in the brig.

When they spoke, they told each other of their childhoods and their family and friends. Katara told Zuko of her adventures with Sokka and Aang and he told her of his travels with his uncle and crew.

By the end of the conversations they were telling each other how much they were in love.

Zuko would kiss her and she would kiss back. He would rest a hand on her belly and wrap his other arm around her and pull her closer to him. Katara would sigh and rest her head on his shoulder. They would sit like that for hours at night until they fell asleep.

* * *

As the third month of the voyage loomed into being, Katara began to worry. The unborn baby was now four month developed and her stomach was starting to bulge.

"What if one of them notices? What if they find out I'm pregnant?"

"They won't," the Prince assured her.

"How won't they? By the time we get to Port Venture, I'll be six months pregnant! How are they gonna miss a six-month-pregnant belly?!" she asked, indicated to her slightly bulging four-month-pregnant belly.

The Fire Prince thought for a moment.

"When it becomes noticeable, I'll give you my robe to wear. It won't show through because it's too baggy on you."

"But what will those pirates think when I suddenly start wearing your clothes?"

"It's starting to get colder – winter's on its way. We'll just say you were getting cold so I gave you that to wear. I'll just say I didn't need it because I'm a firebender," he explained.

The girl couldn't think of anything better, so she accepted his idea.

* * *

Zuko gave the water girl his robe at the start of the fourth month of their voyage, when her bulging belly was only just noticeable.

They started spending more time flirting and talking rather than sitting in silence. The conversations started to talk about the baby and how they were going to break the news to Sokka. Katara was already working on a plan on how she could help stop her brother from murdering Zuko.

Soon enough, they started thinking of what they were going to name the baby. They never agreed on any names for certain and one of them always ended the conversation with "We'll decide some other time," even though they knew that they would just start talking about it again the next day.

* * *

As the fifth and final month of their voyage passed, Katara got less and less sleep. She was eternally grateful for Zuko's robe as the unborn baby kicked at the inside of her swelling stomach. The Prince spent a few minutes each day leaning his head on it to listen to his child's heartbeat and feel it kick. Both teenagers laughed and cried with happiness.

It was noon when the ship stopped and the captain came to lead the waterbender out of the brig.

"Goodbye," she whispered to Zuko as the cell door opened.

He had to fight back as tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he let her go.

He hoped to the spirits that she would be safe.

_Please, please, let this work._

"Goodbye."

* * *

**How did you like it? Did you think it was as sweet as I did? I sure hope you did. Anyways, I will be airing the next chapter soon... if the computer doesn't stuff up, which it has been doing a lot lately. Lol. XD R&R!**


	8. 8: Escape and Reunion

**Sorry for the hold up. Slight uncertainty of this chapter, but I thought it was alright in the end. I hope you like it as much as I ended up doing! I rewrote this chapter so many times! XD! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Trust me; if I did there would be a hell of a lot of Zutara!**

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**8. Escape and Reunion**

Venture was a small town and there was little distance between the ship and the brothel.

Few words were exchanged between the captain and the brothel owner, but the water girl didn't dare listen. After a moment, a bag of gold was handed to the captain and Katara was led away to the brothel.

Katara and her new owner watched the ship set sail from the front of the brothel, just a few minutes later. Once the ship was out of port, the pimp turned to the water girl.

"Ok, I'm Tui. Your name?"

"Katara," she answered quickly, uninterested in making friends with such dishonourable folk.

"Well, Katara, I'm gonna make this easy for you. I'm gonna give you a bedroom and let the boys in when they want you. So, come this way and I'll take you to your room –"

"Um… do these rooms have bathrooms nearby? Cause I think I'm gonna throw up again." The waterbender clutched her stomach as it tightened and the baby inside it kicked.

Tui looked at her in shock.

"The pirates didn't mention you were ill," he said.

"I'm not ill; lots of pregnant women throw up constantly."

Tui's expression became one of total anger.

"You're pregnant?! They didn't mention that either! This won't do, this is a brothel, not a place to dump pregnant teenagers." He turned and began to walk back outside, indicating for her to follow. "I won't give you back to them; they'll just kill you." She sighed inwardly in relief. "I'll let you go, but I want my money back! Do you know who the father is?" he asked.

"Yes, the other prisoner on the ship. We're lovers, but they're gonna make him walk the plank when they're away from land," Katara told the man, hysteria bordering her voice.

"Well, we'll go out there to get my money and you can rescue your _lover_. Then I'll let you both go when we get back here." He kept a straight face as he spoke, but his eyes gave away the decent man he was inside.

Katara's heart leapt.

"Thank you!" she praised him.

_This guy really isn't that bad,_ she thought.

* * *

As the ship moved on, Zuko could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

_Oh, please let the plan work,_ he silently begged the Gods.

* * *

Tui had called up a group of his friends in a matter of minutes and they were ready to set sail in record time. It was quite obvious to Katara that they were all close and always watched each other's backs, making sure what was theirs was theirs and that no one was wronged.

_It's always good to have close, reliable friends._

Their vessel sped off after the pirate ship.

Katara was able to speed the boat up with her waterbending and soon enough, they could see themselves closing the distance between the two vessels.

Tui pulled up alongside the ship and the captain came to the railing.

"What seems to be the problem, my friend?" he asked, and then gasped when he saw the water girl, who had removed the robe to reveal her bulging abdomen.

"I want my money back!" Tui called.

"Sorry, no refunds!" the captain spat, jingling the bag of coins in his hand while glaring down at his rivals.

Tui launched himself at the pirate and his friends followed, jumping onto the pirate's ship. Katara followed behind them to find that the whole crew was on deck.

Everyone drew weapons and swords clashed. Tui fought the captain and Katara could see the chain around his neck which held the keys to the brig and the prison cell. She launched herself at him while he was distracted by Tui.

She let out a battle cry which caught his attention long enough for her new friend to slice his head clean off his shoulders.

Katara had to resist the urge to vomit as blood spurted everywhere, but she had to find that key.

Soaked in blood, her scarlet stained hands made contact with a chain. She gathered it up and stood up.

"Go find your boyfriend!" Tui ordered her, as he turned to keep fighting.

She didn't need to be told twice and bolted below deck, along the corridor until she came to the entrance of the brig.

She stuck one of the keys into the hole and turned it. It unlocked and she stumbled into the brig.

* * *

The Fire Prince listened in worry to the commotion going on above his head. He could hear shouts and screams and the sound of metal on metal and finally, there was the sickening thud of a dead body hitting the deck.

"Katara!" he shouted in panic as a hundred and one scenarios of that body belonging to his lover flashed before his eyes.

There were hurried footsteps heading in his direction and he held his breath, expecting the worst from whoever his visitor was.

The jingle of keys at the door of the brig made his breath catch sharply in his chest and the lock clicked.

* * *

"Katara!" Prince Zuko shouted as she approached with the key.

"Told you I'd come back for you," she said, unlocking his cell as he stood up.

The door swung open and he launched himself forward to embrace her and kiss her. After a moment, they broke apart and she led the way out of the brig and back on deck. They were surprised to find Tui and his friends had either killed or overpowered and tied up all of the pirate crew.

"This your boyfriend?" Tui asked, looking the Fire Prince up and down.

Katara nodded and the pimp indicated for everyone to get back onto the boat. They sailed back to Port Venture in just a few minutes.

When they were back on land, Tui took them back to the brothel.

"I don't think a pregnant woman and her boyfriend are going to get very far without some money." He handed them a bag of gold pieces about the same size as the one the pirates had been given.

Zuko and Katara thanked him and left.

"Well, that was actually pretty easy," Katara commented.

"Yea, now we've just gotta find our friends and stop Sokka from killing me for getting you pregnant."

They both started laughing as they headed for the main street to get supplies for their journey. They didn't need to buy much; just some food, a map and some other bit and pieces. They were out of town before sundown.

They slept by a campfire in their new sleeping bags, off the water for the first time in months.

* * *

"Hey, we're only a few weeks away from the North Pole!" Katara exclaimed as they poured over the map the next morning.

"So?"

"Aang's heading to the North Pole so he can find a waterbending master. I'm meant to be getting one too," she explained.

"Ok, so… we head for the North Pole?"

Katara nodded.

"Ok, let's stick to the shore line though. It'll be easier and quicker to get there and harder to get lost."

She agreed again.

"Well, we can see the beach from here, let's go!" she sounded enthusiastic.

Shouldering their backpacks, they began to follow the beach north.

It only took them two days before the beach started to curve away to the west. They knew that they would have to cross over the water to reach their destination.

They headed for a nearby town.

"We'll ask the locals if they know the best way to get across."

Zuko nodded in agreement but his expression was of disapproval.

_Jeez, what is it with guys and asking for directions? _she mused.

_What is it with women and asking for directions?! _he asked himself in annoyance, _why can't they just be like us and bluff it?!_

As they passed through the market place of the town, they asked the shop keepers for their information. A few of them directed them to the docks men and one advised that they go to the next town to the west, where they could catch a boat there. But most of the people only tried to make them buy things.

It was noon when they passed by a small tea shop.

"Let's go in here and have a break," Katara suggested.

"Ok."

They went inside and walked up to the counter to be served along with an elderly man with grey hair who was intently reading the menu.

Finally, a lady appeared behind the counter.

"Can I help you, dears?"

"Yes, I'll have a ginseng," Zuko said wearily.

"I'll have a jasmine, and would you by any chance know a way to get the North Pole?"

"Sorry, no clue. If you'll just take a seat, your tea will be ready soon."

The old lady disappeared again and the couple turned to find a table when the old man piped up.

"North Pole, huh? I'm going there too; I could give you a ride over in my ship. It's just out on the docks. Me and my crew are leaving tonight," he said without taking his eyes off the menu.

The couple looked at him and Zuko gasped in surprise and glee.

"Uncle?!"

The old man jumped and turned to face them, sure enough Katara saw the face of the retired General Iroh.

"Zuko!" he boomed excitedly, before stepping forward to embrace his nephew in a platypus-bear hug. He caught sight of Katara standing behind him and stepped back.

"You're the Avatar's friend," he commented before catching sight of her enormous belly, "aren't you?"

"I sure am!"

"Uncle, I've come to an important decision; I'm going to join the Avatar," Zuko said solemnly and without paying attention to his relatives confused looks at Katara.

"What? Really?! Oh, it's about time you came to your senses!" he said and the Prince's face lit up. "But what happened to you?!" He pointed at Katara's belly. "And where have you two been? And what changed your mind, Nephew?"

"Well, I'm pregnant, obviously."

"We got kidnapped by those pirates and kinda got to know each other. Then we became friends and now we're lovers." Zuko put an arm around the girl, even thought he was already blushing.

_There, simple, easy explanation! Happy?_

"And I talked him into being Aang's firebending master," Katara added.

"That too."

Iroh stood stock still for a moment and looked very serious. Then slowly, his face cracked into a grin and he began to laugh and he pulled them into an embrace.

"Bout time you mingled with the ladies, my Prince. Congratulation, both of you!"

They both tried to thank him without any air in their lungs as the lady appeared again.

"Here's your tea, darlings!"

* * *

There was lots of talk and explaining and storytelling as they sailed that night.

All of the Prince's crew greeted both new comers openly and willingly with congratulations and acceptance of all decisions made.

"But what's your brother going to say about this, Miss Katara?" Lieutenant Jee asked politely.

"He won't be happy," she admitted, but everyone laughed.

The whole crew remained loyal to the Prince and kind to the waterbender from then on.

They were surrounded by ice by morning and soon the entrance to the Northern Water Tribe City was visible and they were approaching fast. A white flag flew from the crow's-nest to signal peace.

Nonetheless, a group of waterbenders came to meet them to be sure they weren't going to cause any trouble.

"It's ok, we come in peace. We are all rebelling against the Fire Lord. I am Prince Zuko and I'm looking for the Avatar. I want to teach him firebending and he is said to be here to master waterbending," the Prince explained calmly.

"My name is Katara. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe and I've been traveling with Aang and my brother Sokka since we left the South Pole, until we got separated a few months ago."

"If you are who you say you are, then follow us into the city! Your friends are indeed here," said the man who seemed to be leading the group. The Water Tribe boats turned and headed back towards the city. The Prince's ship followed obediently.

As they entered the city, all the people on the walkways seemed to back away and start whispering to each other. The cannel for the ships ran right through the city and branched off into other cannels.

Finally, they reach the Water Tribe palace at the end of the main cannel and the ship and boats pulled up and a messenger ran off ahead of everyone else to send the news of the new arrivals.

As the rest of the people came off the vessels, everyone who had been on the Prince's ship was led to a clearing that seemed to be the city square.

Soon, the messenger returned and many of the Tribes people gathered around to see the strangers.

There was a bit of shuffling and a boy dressed in yellow and orange stepped forward and was closely followed by one of the people dressed in blue, but with skin a lot more tanned.

"Katara!" Aang yelled out in joy as he ran to embrace his friend.

"Katara!" Sokka sounded slightly annoyed, but still gleeful to see his sister as he hugged them both, "What happened to you? Where have you been? We looked everywhere for you and…" Sokka trailed off as he acknowledged the Fire Nation soldiers, including Zuko, standing behind her and that something was between himself and his little sister. Looking down he saw her pregnant belly and jumped back, swearing loudly. Aang followed suit as he too realized her bulging belly.

"What the hell, Katara?!"

Sokka's eyes were practically begging her to tell him he was seeing things.

Aang just looked baffled, but in his eyes, the waterbender could see spurs of pity, hurt and jealousy.

She looked back to her brother.

"I'll explain later, when we've got a little more privacy," she said softly, putting a hand on his arm.

"Wah! What's Zuko doing here?!" Aang suddenly yelled, noticing the Fire Prince for the first time.

Prince Zuko stepped forward nervously, to stand alongside Katara.

"Well, um… I was kinda wondering… if-if by any chance… you, er…"

Katara put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that said _calm down and think before you speak_.

The Prince smiled and took a deep breath before turning back to face the Avatar.

"I was wondering; how would you feel if I became you firebending master?" he asked.

Aang looked stunned; his expression showed he had completely forgotten about Katara's bulging belly.

"Are you serious?!" he asked as Sokka's mouth fell open so that it touched the ground.

Zuko nodded.

"You mean, you're on our side now?!" Sokka exclaimed slightly more than asked.

"He sure is!" Katara cut in, drawing all attention back to her.

Both boys looked between Katara, Zuko and the Prince's crew for approval.

Then, smiling, Aang turned back to the Fire Prince.

"I knew there was good in you. You're in!" And Zuko smiled wider.

* * *

After explaining to everyone Zuko's new status in the war, along with that of his uncle and crew, everyone was finally able to go back to their own things.

Aang, Sokka, Katara and Zuko went to the house Sokka and Aang had been living in while Zuko's crew members went back to the ship to get organized for their stay.

In the house, Aang and Zuko went through apologies before starting to get to know each other a little better.

Meanwhile, Katara and Sokka disappeared into another room to talk.

"Well?" Sokka started.

"Well what?"

"WELL, YOU JUST CAME BACK AFTER ALMOST EIGHT MONTHS WITH THE FIRE PRINCE AND HIS CREW AND A PREGNANT BELLY!" he shouted angrily.

Although she knew that if he was a firebender, sparks would surely be engulfing him, Katara managed to stay calm; she knew this wasn't going to be easy to explain to her older brother and it certainly wasn't going to be safe for Zuko.

"Ok, I think I'll go from the start," she decided out loud.

Sokka nodded his approval.

"Well, I was down by the lake, just practicing my waterbending when those pirates showed up. One of them attacked me, but then Zuko showed up and saved me. We ran off into the forest together to get away form the pirates and when we stopped, he captured me himself. But the pirates caught up and ambushed us. We were both unconscious for a while. When I woke up again we were in the brig of their ship and out at sea.

"They tried to get me to tell them where Aang was, but I wouldn't. Anyways, after a while, they decided I was suitable for a sex toy and tried to turn me into one."

"So you don't know who the father is," Sokka said blankly. His face was red with rage and if those pirates had been in the room at that moment and looks could kill, they would have disintegrated into something much less than dust or rust.

"What? NO! I know exactly who the father is! Now let me finish!"

Sokka gave her a hurry-up-with-it look before she continued.

"Each night when they'd throw me back into the brig, crying, beaten and half naked, Zuko would take care of me. At first his excuse was he knew it was the right thing to do and what the pirates were doing was wrong.

"After a while, we kinda became friends and we'd talk and in the end, he saw how wrong the war was and admitted that he didn't really like it and he decided that he wanted to be Aang's firebending teacher. And then he admitted he didn't like seeing me in tears every night because I was his friend and that became his new excuse."

"So, you talked him into joining?" Sokka sounded only slightly surprised. But then he considered that if they were stuck in the same room together for long enough and she was talking, anyone would give in to her in a matter of time.

"Kinda. I helped him realize that he didn't really want to go back to his father or capture Aang, but he did most of the working out there himself," she explained.

"And he was good to you? He took care of you?" Sokka suddenly looked ready to cry. He was so upset that he hadn't been there to protect his little sister from those cursed pirates and she had had to rely on the Fire Prince for comfort and protection. For a split second, he actually wanted to leave the room and give Zuko a hug and thank him for everything he had done to help his little sister.

Katara nodded, and then continued.

"Anyways, after a month, we stopped at some town, but found out what the pirates had planned for us. They were going to sell me to a brothel at the next town we stopped at which was five months away, and then they were going to kill him." Now Katara sounded ready to cry.

Sokka remained silent, but listened intently.

"So, while they were all ashore, we came up with a plan. Well, first, before I go any further… I love him Sokka. And he loves me."

Sokka looked shocked and suddenly, understanding dawned on him.

"It's his baby…" he whispered, and this time a tear did roll down his cheek. He didn't know how to feel right at that moment, but what he did feel confused him. He felt angry that the Fire Prince had touched his little sister and after the pirates had done Spirits knew what to her already. He felt pity for Katara, because she was no longer the sweet, innocent little girl he had grown up with. And he felt scared; he didn't know how well the Fire Prince was dedicated to helping her raise this baby.

But at the same time, he felt happy, because Katara had found someone she could love and who loved her back. Glad that he, Zuko, had helped his little sister in her time of need and been there for her to lean back on. And much to his surprise, he felt exited, because he knew he was going to be an uncle!

"Brothels don't take pregnant women. We kept my pregnancy secret for the whole rest of the voyage and didn't say anything till I had been sold. Then I told the brothel owner and we went after the pirates and saved Zuko. When we got back to land, we started heading here to find you and Aang. We ran into Mr. Iroh and the crew in a town along the northern coast of the mainland and sailed over with them. And now I'm here!" Katara sobbed at the end and she began to cry too. "Oh, Sokka. I'm sorry, there was no other way. Please don't be mad."

Sokka hugged his sister and cried.

"Do you really love him?"

Katara nodded.

He sighed and swallowed the hot lump rising in his throat, "Ok, I won't be mad. But can I give him a smack over the back of the head for all of this?"

They both started laughing and Katara gave her permission.

"But not too hard; I don't want him to have concussion."

When they joined the Avatar and his new teacher, Sokka fulfilled is request.

"Make one wrong move on my sister and I'll murder you!"

The three older teens laughed before explaining to a very confused Aang.

"You're not allowed to leave me alone with your brother, Katara," Zuko told her as he eyed the Water Warrior out of the corner of his good eye, wearily.

"I know."

* * *

Later on that night, Sokka stepped outside to think, but was soon joined by Zuko.

"Hey, Sokka?"

"Mmm?" Sokka was slightly annoyed.

"Well, you know how Katara and I are together and how she's pregnant?"

"Yes, why?" The Water Warrior raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we agreed that we'd stay together to raise the baby and… Sokka, I would do anything for your sister. I would die for her if I had to."

"Where are you going with this?" The water boy turned to look him in the eye.

"Sokka... with your permission... I wanna marry Katara."

Sokka's heart stopped for a moment. This was just what he had expected.

He thought for a minute, he wanted to do whatever was best for his little sister.

Slowly and carefully, he answered the Prince, "My sister loves you, and if you lover her the way you say you do, then… you have my permission to ask her." Inside, he prayed that whatever happened, his sister would be happy. "My sister is the world to me and her happiness is one of my greatest concerns. So, if she says yes, then fine. But if the answer's no than it's no!" Sokka warned, poking him roughly in the chest.

Then, without any warning, the Prince stepped forward and embraced him like a brother.

"Thank you so much! You've got no idea how happy I am!"

With that, he turned and went back inside, leaving Sokka to the ever growing crop of thoughts inside his aching head.

**

* * *

**

**Did you like it? Did you think it was as funny and sweet as I did? Tell me in your review! XD! (PLEASE REVIEW ME!)**

**Now, before I go any further, I just wanna clarify something; THIS IS **_**NOT**_** THE END OF THE STORY! Not quite...**

**Now, review me! (Please XD)**


	9. 9: Bed Time Stories

**Greetings and salutations to all readers. This will be the last chapter, so thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my first masterpiece! Lol, R&R and I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the last airbender.**

* * *

**Chapter 9. Bedtime Stories**

"Zuko and I got married three months later, just two weeks before I had your mother. By then, Aang had found his earthbending teacher and the war was over. You grandfather had been Fire Lord for a week!"

"Yes, it was a very eventful month for us," Fire Lord Zuko agreed.

"Did great uncle Sokka or Aang ever beat you up for it, grandpa?"

Before he could answer his granddaughter, his brother-in-law cut in.

"I gave him another smack over the back of the head the night before the wedding."

Everyone laughed.

"I got over Katara pretty quick after I met Toph," Aang said, putting an arm around his blind wife.

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Eeeeew!" all twenty grandchildren in the room moaned and all the grownups laughed.

"Anyway, my mind got a little preoccupied after I went back to Kyoshi Island and found Suki again."

"Yes, and then it was our turn to get married, two months after Zuko and Katara."

"When did you get married to grandma Toph, grandpa Aang?" asked the Avatar's grandson.

"Just a month after Sokka and Suki," Toph answered.

"Then we had half of your parents and they got married and had you lot," Zuko concluded.

"And we all lived happily ever after!" boomed the ancient Mr. Iroh as he entered the room. "Did I miss out on story time?"

"Sorry, Uncle. These little rascals wanted a long one tonight, so we thought we'd start early," the old Fire Lord apologized.

"What was tonight's story?"

"The one where your nephew and my sister get caught by pirates and end up married," Sokka explained.

Iroh nodded before sitting down next to Toph on a couch.

"Tell us another story, Gran-Gran Katara," chimed Rainbow – the youngest of the children.

"Yes, tell us another one!" chanted the other nineteen.

"Please tell us another one," all of them begged.

"Now, now. If I keep telling you stories you'll be up all night. It's late, your folks won't be happy with me if you don't get to sleep. You'll all be tired and you all get grumpy when you're tired, especially you, Lora Lee."

They all laughed and moaned at the same time.

"Please," they all begged.

"No, off to bed with you now," Toph said.

"Do we have to?" the three oldest whined.

"Yes, Sue Lee, Zoel and Pip. Bed!" Suki ordered with a hint of a laugh.

"Ok you lot, you heard the ladies. Beddy-byes!" Aang encouraged.

Suddenly, he, Sokka and Zuko jumped up and started chasing them.

They ran everywhere, screaming and laughing until one of the grandfathers caught them and ran them to their bedrooms.

Sokka and Aang caught the last two.

"Tell the rest of them up there that if they aren't asleep when Papa Koko comes to check on you, I'll give you a smacked bottom!" Zuko told them before they were dragged away to their room.

"Goodnight Papa Koko!" they yelled, before Sokka shut the door.

He and Aang went back downstairs.

"I can't believe you let them call you Papa Koko!" Sokka laughed.

"Yea, you won't even let us call you Zuzu!" Aang joked.

"Hey, when Azula gives you a nickname you won't want to be known by it either. Trust me; I know from experience," he assured them.

"Oh, admit it!" Katara teased, pinching his cheek, "you like being called Zuzu!"

"Do not!" he protested.

"Yes, you do. YOU'RE LYING!" Toph pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Am not!" he denied.

Katara giggled and kissed him sweetly, "You can't lie to me."

Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, "Fine, I like it. But it got damn annoying after a while!"

"Ha, ha! He admits it!" Sokka called out in victory.

Katara kissed Zuko again, this time more deeply.

"Ew. Alright, you guys were cute and all when we were teenager, but when you hit your forties it started getting really gross!" Sokka complained, covering his eyes.

"Oh, get over it, Sokka! You're just jealous that Suki doesn't do it to you so much anymore!" Aang told.

"I do so!" Suki almost shouted.

"No, you don't," Sokka sided with Aang. But before another word could be issued, the Kyoshi Warrior pressed her lips against his, silencing him.

"Blah! You two aren't much better than they are!" Aang said, burying his face in Toph's hair.

She laughed and kissed him.

"You were saying?" Iroh interrupted, although he didn't seem the least bit disgusted by any of it.

"Uncle, you are sick," Zuko shook his head as Iroh watched the couples intently.

"You should have seen me before your aunt died! Every day we use to –"

"UNCLE! _Waaaaaaaaaaaay _too much information!" Zuko cut him short.

The children burst out laughing in their room.

"Are you kids listening in on our conversation, again?!" Sokka asked in disbelief.

"Maybe..." a few meek voices sounded as the laughing stopped abruptly.

"Right! That's it! Papa Koko's coming to get you now!"

Zuko stood up and walked over to the large bedroom the grandchildren were staying in and slipped inside. Laughing and screaming and fake growling could be heard within the room for a moment before everything went quiet.

After a moment of silence Sokka asked, "Do you think he fell asleep in there with them?"

"No, Sokka. He isn't that old," his wife nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Yea, my husband is only sixty-six!" Katara defended.

"He's still the oldest one here," Aang said.

"Hey, what about me?!" Iroh asked indignantly.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Mr. Iroh."

The old Fire Lord walked back into the room at that moment, smiling broadly and with battered hair.

"Kids," the three women sighed.

Iroh chuckled, "I think I am going to go to bed."

He stood and waltzed out of the room and disappeared.

"I think we should all go to bed as well," Toph yawned.

"Agreed," Sokka, Aang and Suki said. Zuko and Katara just nodded.

They all walked to their rooms and got ready for bed.

"I wonder what it would have been like if we hadn't gotten caught together by those pirates?" Katara wondered out loud.

"I don't want to think about it; there's to much of a chance I would have stayed on my father's side of the war," Zuko admitted as he lay down next to her.

Katara scooted over to lay her head on his chest and she shut her eyes. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

* * *

**The end!**

**Well, I hope you all liked it. R&R and tell me. **

**Before anyone else asks, there **_**will**_** be a sequel... kinda. I'm planning to do a drabble series of some description. I've already started working on it, everyone look out for a story by me called "Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series". I hope you like it.**

**Now, without further ado, I would like to thank:**

_**missing-mi-heart**_

_**zutara4lyfe**_

_**Zutara-vampirepirate**_

_**Northernlights25**_

_**Banna Breath**_

_**doctor anthony**_

_**graceh**_

_**Fudogg**_

_**Lost Whispers**_

_**Equal Love**_

**and**

_**Flowerperson**_

**for their wonderful reviews. Never mind how constant they reviewed me, you guys all rock and I give you all cyber cookies. Enjoy!**

**I would also like to thank my two anonymous reviewers:**

_**Shadow ninja 86**_

**and **

_**nt**_

**for their reviews. Cyber cookies for you as well.**

**I loved writing this story and it was great that I had so many reviewers who like the story. Thank you to everyone, cuz you have all made my first experience with writing for this site a good one!**

**XD! If you've read the story, but haven't reviewed and want to, I will mention you in the drabble series sequel to the story ;)**

**Thank you once again to everyone and I hope you all come back and read my other stories when I start them.**

**Yours in writing, **

**appa-appa-away!**


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